Fire I, close up, 3’x4′, Mixed media on canvas, ©LEAD
Love is particular.
When you love someone,
A tangible, touchable someone,
The whole world opens up.
If you want to know the universe,
Dare to love one person.
All the secret teachings are here–
Go deeper, and deeper still.
The gift of concentration
Is the spaciousness that surrounds it.
Focus illuminates immensity.
Sutra 99
The Radiance Sutras: 112 Gateways to the Yoga of Wonder and Delight
(English and Sanskrit Edition, Lorin Roche, Ph.D.)
To love is to pay attention, to give attention, to tend to the being that is YOU or the being/s in front of you. As I read this sutra above and allow its essence to permeate my awareness, my thoughts and feelings vacillate between the Self and the “other.” Daring to love me, to know thyself through loving, tending to my own rich tapestry of intricacies is a day to day practice of tending my lifelong journey of wonder, magic, delight and actualization. The word attention itself is derived from the words tender, tenderness, to tend to it. Paying attention to the soul, the Self can be as natural as breathing, and is by default, a way of loving the Self. We love ourselves as we pay attention to our physical needs, our emotional shifts, our thoughts about ourselves and our longings and yearnings in this life. This way of perceiving how I love myself has been a refreshing, compassionate, kind and gentle way forward as I move forward on my life path.
Self love is the foundation for all other types of love. Through my own deepening practice of Self love, I am progressively learning to love all else in a more attentive way… from my love for others, for the planet, for what I do, what I create, and everything else that I pay attention to that is outside the boundaries of this being that is Lórien.
Isn’t this perspective an exciting, beautiful and interesting method of loving the Self ? Since this discovery, I have been in a constantly deepening state of awe, spaciousness and curiosity in love and life. Awakening to loving myself in this way is transforming all of my interactions with others, from drivers on my morning commute, to my art students, to my more intimate connections, like family and close friends, and of course touching the details and entirety of my life existence in a way that is immeasurable, yet tangible at the same time.
I especially enjoy this line from Lorin Roche, “Love is a state of perceiving great value in the beloved.” Love can therefore be a practice of paying attention and appreciating the layered nuances of the Beloved Self from the first moments of awakening in the morning to the last moments of alertness before falling into sleep and dream at night. Aaahhhhhh…
Cast aside the ten thousand things,
And love only one.
Don’t go on to another.
Engage your lively awareness
With this one focus–
One object, one thought, one symbol.
Now go inside,
Find the center.
The soul, the heart.
Right here,
In the middle of the feeling,
Attend the blossoming–
Attention vast as the sky.
Sutra 39
The Radiance Sutras, Lorin Roche, Ph.D.
Thank you for reading and I invite you to share your contributions via comments and connections and would love to hear your comments here, reach out via my facebook page, or email me at lorien@lorieneck.com.
May your days be filled with a sense of wonder, love, creativity, adventure and play!
In love, gratitude and beauty…
Personally Experienced and Recommended Resources
Change Your Energy, Change Your Life with Kathleen Nelson Troyer
Paths to Enlightenment in Everyday Life
as translated by Lorin Roche, Ph.D.
An Invitation to Inspiration 
